49 years ago today, July 7, 1976 (June 11, 1976 in the lunar calendar), Lieutenant General Pi Dingjun passed away. Pi Dingjun (August 30, 1914-July 7, 1976) was a native of Jinzhai County, Anhui Province, China. He was a lieutenant general of the People's Liberation Army of China. He served as commander of the Lanzhou Military Region and Fuzhou Military Region. Pi joined the Socialist Youth League of China in 1928, joined the Red Army of Workers and Peasants of China the following year, and joined the Communist Party of China in 1931. Pi Shi served as platoon leader of the 35th Regiment of the 12th Division of the Fourth Red Army, and was gradually promoted to battalion commander. In 1935, he participated in the Long March with the army. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War in 1937, he served as the commander of the 1st Battalion of the Suiying School of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army, and later promoted to the commander of the division's secret service regiment. After 1940, he commanded battles in the Taihang Mountains for a long time. After the Battle of Henan, Hunan and Guangxi in 1944, Pi led his troops south to Henan and served as commander of the Independent Detachment of Western Henan. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, he served as commander of the 1st Brigade of the 1st Column of the Central Plains Military Region. In the autumn of 1946, under siege dozens of times by the National Revolutionary Army, Pi led his entire brigade to break through the encirclement and successfully reach East China. Historically, it was known as the "Breakout of the Central Plains", which marked the resumption of the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. In January 1947, he served as deputy commander of the Sixth Column of the East China Field Army, and in September 1949, he served as commander of the 24th Army of the Third Field Army. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Pi led his troops to participate in the Korean War, and later served as commander of the Lanzhou Military Region and Fuzhou Military Region. On July 7, 1976, while inspecting the coastal defense front line in Fujian, he was killed in a landline crash. When the People's Liberation Army of China was first awarded the rank of major general in 1955, Pi Yuan was promoted to lieutenant general due to Mao Zedong's personal instructions: "Pi is meritorious, but he is less likely to be promoted to lieutenant general." Comment: A military leader with outstanding military achievements, unfortunately died young.